When people hear the words “MMDA” nowadays, one name immediately comes to mind: Bayani Fernando.
His name is actually a good way of illustrating how the MMDA’s image has crossed over into the good side of things: Bayani. Hero. Just when people were cursing the MMDA almost everyday because of the unbearable traffic situation, Bayani Fernando just stepped in and saved the day for the MMDA.
In fact, if you really look at it, Bayani Fernando’s personality works as good PR for the MMDA as an entire organization. Think about it: would people really be singing praises for the MMDA if he were not at the helm?
Marikina used to be known as the Shoe Capital of the Philippines, but in later years, its name no longer rang much of a bell. Then, Marikina began creeping its way back into the people’s consciousness as they began to notice how this little city was becoming, slowly but surely, cleaner, greener, and safer. And the man behind it all? The mayor: Bayani Fernando.
Because of his good work in Marikina, his name became almost synonymous to growth and progress. So when he was assigned to head the MMDA, a lot of people enthusiastically nodded their heads at this. The City of Marikina today is a testimony of Bayani Fernando’s work, such that people are thinking: if he could do it in Marikina, he can do it at the MMDA.
With Bayani Fernando assuming the post of MMDA Chairman, people saw the rise of many schemes, the most notable of which are the new traffic schemes. Many of the new traffic schemes involve no left-turns at certain streets and the now-famous U-turn scheme, which eliminates crossing at intersections.
Why is this important? Traffic builds up at intersections not just because vehicles all want to cross that space at the same time, but also because of the unproductive practice of MMDA traffic enforcers directing traffic themselves instead of letting the traffic lights do the work. My parents have even termed this as “exercising”: traffic only builds up even more, most especially if the traffic enforcer doesn’t even seem to have an idea of what he’s doing. Once motorists see that the traffic enforcer’s ineffective management of traffic is the reason for the buildup, it is not the specific traffic enforcer’s name that they curse, but the MMDA as a whole. Thus, it is the MMDA’s name that becomes tainted. Through the implementation of the U-turn scheme, the traffic buildup and ineffective traffic management are both eliminated.
But during the first week of its implementation, one can observe that the traffic has never been worse. In the long run, however, the traffic has generally lessened. I can personally attest to this: here in Antipolo, the intersection of Marcos Highway and Imelda Avenue has always been notorious for the traffic buildup. Motorists always try to beat the yellow light because they know that if the light turns red, they’ll be stuck in traffic for almost twenty minutes. But upon implementing the U-turn schemes, the traffic flow down the highway is very smooth, and the pressure points are now isolated to the places nearing the U-turn. The same is generally true for other places where the same scheme has been implemented, so it can be said that on the whole, Bayani Fernando has succeeded in alleviating the traffic problem.
As these new traffic schemes succeed in meeting the traffic problems head-on, one can see that Bayani Fernando has a vision, and works towards that vision. He doesn’t just implement whatever scheme he wants, whether it makes sense or not. Careful planning, logic, and strategy are behind these new rules, and it is to this solid foundation that success can be attributed. Consequently, the effectiveness of these rules contributes to the improvement of the MMDA’s reputation and image. After all, “a good image is built by ensuring the quality of its products and services.”[2] Thus, the MMDA’s image improves precisely because, thanks to these schemes, the agency is able to deliver on its promises of alleviating the traffic problem.
Apart from the traffic situation, the MMDA is also known for its tagline “Sidewalks are for people.” In encouraging the sidewalk vendors to enter the marketplace instead of selling their goods on the sidewalk, Bayani Fernando has found allies in the legitimate vendors who pay rent in the marketplaces and sell their goods there: as some vendors sell their goods outside the marketplace, the business of the legitimate vendors suffers since people no longer bother to go inside the market. Thus, eliminating the sidewalk vendors serves a double purpose: it gives all vendors a fair chance to earn a living the right way, and it allows people to use the sidewalk for its very purpose of its existence: to be walked on.
Bayani: Upholder of the Law
We have so far established that through Bayani Fernando, the MMDA has been doing a good job. But we haven’t really examined why this is so. What is the reason behind this success?
The reason is this: for the first time, people are aware that obedience of the law can actually be a good thing. It sounds like a no-brainer, but in a country that has been so entrenched in corruption, this is actually a big deal.
For once, we see a politician who, as sidewalk vendors try to convince him to change his mind, quips, “Eto po yung batas, kaya dito po tayo.” Sad as it may seem, the reality is Bayani Fernando belongs to a rare breed of politicians who are in it not for the money or prestige, but for the public good. In him, we have a politician who doesn’t close his eyes to the law, but opens the eyes of others to see it.
After all, the law promotes fairness and equality. It is there to put order in a society, to make sure that a nation is governed effectively and efficiently. With all the corruption and crime around us, with the blatant disobedience of the law even by the very people who create them, is it any wonder that our country is breaking down under the weight of divisiveness? Is it any wonder that we, as Filipinos, have such a jaded picture of politicians and the government in general?
Thus, in upholding and abiding by the law, the MMDA as a whole is able to achieve a great number of things. One, it is able to breathe some clean air in the highly polluted atmosphere of corruption. Two, it is able to distinguish itself as an agency that stands by truth, as an agency that people can trust to deliver on their promises with no extra charge. And three, ultimately, it is able to create something that public relations tries to achieve as well: harmony in society.
As we said in the beginning, Bayani Fernando is good PR for the MMDA. The reputation he had built in Marikina and the trust people had in him were things that largely contributed to the MMDA’s image overhaul. However, we must take pains to realize that the MMDA is not Bayani Fernando, and that Bayani Fernando is not the MMDA.
In upholding the law, the MMDA is being perceived as an agency that is doing a good job. Their reputation is slowly becoming cleaner because of this, and people are beginning to trust that the MMDA knows what it is doing. This is why they should have a word of warning: “a company’s reputation can be lost in less time it requires to build it.”[3]
With or without Bayani Fernando, the MMDA should try to continue everything that he has started. He is but a means to an ultimate end: growth and progress while achieving peace and harmony in society. If the MMDA doesn’t take care of this reputation that he has built, if it opens itself to corruption once again, everything that Bayani Fernando has worked for can only come tumbling down again. It will have been all for naught.
The next leader of the MMDA should recognize that Bayani Fernando has set the agency on the right track. It’s just a matter of pursuing that track. It’s a matter of taking care of the good relationship the agency now has with the people. Regardless of who is conducting, an orchestra should still be able to play the music in harmony. In the same way, regardless of who is leading the MMDA, the agency should be able to do its job, and do it well.
After all, leaders come and go. What’s permanent is the legacy they leave behind.
